Beverwijck

When the English conquered New Netherland in 1664, they found a well-established society that was firmly held together by a Dutch-modelled government and church, and which maintained continuous communication with its fatherland, the Dutch Republic. Combined sources from American and Dutch archives provide a lively picture of every-day life in this colony. Newly wealthy traders, craftsmen and other workers, and people who survived thanks to a well-organized system of poor relief are the main characters in this study of one of its major communities, Beverwijck on the upper Hudson (present-day Albany, New York). Beavers and shell beads that served as money, daily visits by Indians, and the presence of African slaves make clear that Beverwijck was not only Dutch, but a new, 'American' society, as well.